‘Shang-Chi’s Easter Egg Filled Mid and Post Credits Scenes Explained
The future of the MCU’s phase four begins to unfold in the Shang-Chi post credits. What will happen to the Ten Rings?
One of the greatest joys of seeing a Marvel film is undoubtedly staying for the mid and post-credits scenes. Shang-Chi’s scenes certainly gave audiences plenty to chew on, and they definitely have implications for the future of phase four.
Spoiler Alert: This article spoils the heck out of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading, and get thee to a theater immediately.
The Mid-Credit Scene: Welcome to the Avengers
The first scene picks up directly at the end of the movie and Shang and Katy explain to their friends exactly what went down in Ta-Lo. Suddenly, the sorcerer Wong appears and directs them through a portal where they discuss the origins of the Ten Rings.
Alongside Wong, a holographic Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner attempt to analyze the power source of the rings. Carol says that their power is unlike any she’s seen before, ruling out a lot of cosmic power sources like the Infinity Stones. At any rate, we learn that the rings are very, very old.
In the comic books, the rings contained the souls of alien beings similar to dragons. We probably saw one of these creatures, The Protector, also known as Fin Fang Foom. Whether given to humans or stolen from the dragons, the alien origin of these beings has some cosmic implications.
The mid-credits scene also made it clear that Shang’s battle with Ten Rings sent a beacon from Earth into space. While we aren’t given any further clues about the possible alien nature of the rings, this is the first phase 4 plot-dangle that looks up to the stars instead of over to the parallel world next door.
Another detail of this mid-credits scene involves Bruce Banner. The hero sports his post-gauntlet sling, putting this story on the timeline very soon after the events of Endgame.
Bruce isn’t sharing his body with the Hulk anymore though, leading some fans to wonder if the snap destroyed the Hulk-part of Bruce. This detail, paired with the appearance of Abomination, has fans wondering if this hints at a She-Hulk storyline in the future.
After Bruce welcomes Shang and Kate to the Avengers team, the scene wraps with the Ten Rings duo belting it out to some “Hotel California”– with Wong singing too, of course.
The Post-Credits Scene: The New Leader of the Ten Rings
Meanwhile, the Shang-Chi post-credits scene shows Xialing taking over her father’s old throne and cleaning house. The neglected younger sibling begins by removing all of the posters covering her childhood bedroom. She ends with sitting atop her father’s throne. She looks out over a group of trainees– including women who, like her, were previously unable to join the Ten Rings. As she observes everything happening before her, she says that she’s got a lot of work to do.
Xialing ran underground fighting empire until her father and Shang showed up. It’s difficult to suss out whether she’s taking control of the Ten Rings for good or for ill. The character herself is a new addition to the Marvel mythos, so we can’t look to the comics for any sequel spoilers.
Comic book Shang-Chi does have sisters, though. None of them look like Xialing, but one younger sister named Sister Hammer does take over a large criminal organization. This forces Shang to try to save her, even though her claim to power hinges on his death. Could this be the plot for the second installment of Shang-Chi?
Shang-Chi #1 variant cover by Jen Bartel, courtesy of Marvel comics
One thing is clear: the MCU has big plans for both Shang and Xialing it its upcoming stories. Will the complicated family saga evolve into a fight between siblings? Do you think Xialing is Marvel’s next Big Bad? Did we miss any post-film easter eggs?
